Mother and baby inpatient services

Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Inpatient Unit provides specialist treatment and support for pregnant women in their last trimester and postnatal women experiencing mental health problems.

The service ensures mothers can maintain close contact with their new babies whether they are treated at home or on our specialist inpatient ward. We also provide a specialist, residential parenting assessment service to local authorities, legal services, children's guardians and the court. Our team of clinicians, nurses, therapists and support staff are experienced in supporting and caring for mothers and their babies.

There are a number of studies that demonstrate the benefits of keeping mothers and babies together and fostering good attachments between infants and their parents. Coombe Wood offers the ideal environment for a parent with mental health difficulties to be treated whilst maintaining a relationship with their baby. Our bespoke inpatient unit has been designed to provide a warm, welcoming home-from-home environment that positively aids recovery and ensures babies feel secure, safe and able to continue bonding with their mother, father and other siblings and family members at this crucial stage of their development.

There is also a wealth of development research which shows that the shows that the mutually pleasurable interactions between babies and their parents are vitally important in supporting a baby’s early development and lifelong and physical mental health. These mutually pleasurable interactions between babies and their parents are vital to early cognitive and emotional development and later physical and mental health.

Delivering a therapeutic programme that meets the needs of mothers and infants and minimises the risk of relapse or readmission

How to access these services

Referrals to Coombe Wood specialist inpatient, community and residential parenting assessment service are accepted from healthcare professionals, social workers, family solicitors, children's guardians and the courts.